In an effort of cross-boundary solidarity, the MUTEK editions in Tokyo and Mexico City join forces to explore new virtual playgrounds as a way to overcome current physical disconnections and build bridges between the two artistic communities of Japan and Mexico.
For 5 continuous days our virtual festival platform will host more than 35 performances across 3 virtual stages, an interactive Gallery exhibiting more than 20 cutting-edge digital artworks, a series of lectures, talks and master classes in our renown Digi Lab format, and a Listening Room with non-stop selections from the MUTEK network’s archives. The Mexican-Japanese core will be extended through the MUTEK Connect series, which provides space for collaborations with the global MUTEK branches and our international partners from Insomnia and Ekko Festivals in Norway, Italy's ClubToClub Festival and South Korea’s B39/PRECTXE Festival.
We hope that this experiment honours our communities in Mexico, Japan, and around the world - whether artists, technicians, cultural workers, partners, collaborators and ultimately you, the audience that triggers the inspiration. Ours is a special celebration, designed to draw like-minded people closer together—wherever they are in the world…
To jump right in click here:
How it works
The live program will be streamed on this virtual festival platform between Wednesday, December 9 and Sunday, December 13, 2020, and is optimized for three time zones (GMT-6/GMT+1/GMT+9), making it viewable at those times from everywhere on the planet.
To access all of MUTEK.JP+MX online content, we ask for a contribution of 10$ USD. You also have the option to purchase a 45$ USD package including the access to the virtual festival and a pass for the Nocturne event for MUTEK.MX 2021. To purchase your tickets navigate to the "Buy Tickets" button on the top right menu on virtual.mutek.org and simply add your credit card information to confirm your purchase. Passes on sale from December 9 to December 13.
The mandatory contribution of $10 USD grants you the access to the full virtual festival experience and the MUTEK.JP+MX Replay archive of all artistic performances from December 16, 2020, until January 1, 2021. Any additional donations will help sustain our future actions in terms of artistic development and supporting emerging talent while encouraging diversity and inclusion.
For frequently asked questions and our code of conduct, please refer to our Virtual FAQ.
To dive deeper into the full programming check below for a day by day breakdown of the virtual festival activities.
Virtual Program by Day
Wednesday, December 9
On Wednesday, December 9, the virtual stages will open with MUTEK.JP’s annual conference program Digi Lab 1 at 17:00 (GMT+9). Digi Lab 1 will present a series of talks on questions of musical archeology, diversity in the music industry, and AI & Art, with renowned speakers such as researcher Patrick Savage, music journalist Yuko Asanuma, Rhizomatiks head Seiichi Saito, and ALIFE researcher Takashi Ikegami.
Following on Stage 1, Connect MUTEK Montreal 1 brings Nelly-Eve Rajotte and Porto Porto! to our virtual festival stages representing the artistic dynamism and the cultural richness of Canada.
On Stage 2 the first of a series of Mexican activations MUTEK.MX 1 will showcase experimentation, mysticism and digital poetics by the Latin artists Mabe Fratti & Milena Pafundi, AMNL PRNT & Valeria Vicente, CNDSD & Iván Abreu taking place from 21:00 (GMT+9).
Closing the day on Stage 3 at 22:30 (GMT+9) will be a unique collaboration between the MUTEK branches in Buenos Aires and Dubai hosting the audiovisual performances by hm505 & VJ mentalny jeż and Argentinian duo Qoa & Joaquina S.’s piece “Future Mythologies”.
Thursday, December 10
Live from Stream Hall, Shibuya, Tokyo, at 18:30 (GMT+9) the cornerstone A/Visions program will see the opening performance of MUTEK.JP’s 5th anniversary with a special double bill. The opening performance sees the arrival of Alter 3, a humanoid robot, on the MUTEK.JP stage, followed by Corey Fuller and his Break Ensemble together with visual artist Synichi Yamamoto.
In the meantime starting at 19:00 (GMT+9) Stage 3 will host the second iteration of the Digi Lab 2 program with a live coding workshop by Atsushi Tadokoro and a Master Class by choreographer and media artist Hiroaki Umeda in collaboration with BAU College of Design, Barcelona and the Japan Foundation.
From 21:00 (GMT+9) Stage 2 will host MUTEK.MX 2 with synthesizer explorations by Mexican artists Isaac Soto & Federico Torres and Le Fantom Onde.
At 21:30 (GMT+9) a special double bill by renowned Italian festival Club to Club presenting a rerun of Mana & Nicole Neidert’s Mania and Bienoise x Allarme Rosso, the most impactful performances of their 2020 edition will take over Stage 3.
Friday, December 11
Friday night starts at 18:30 (GMT+9) with the broadcast of MUTEK.JP’s Nocturne 1 program showcasing the best the Japanese digital creative scene has to offer. Be prepared for an audiovisual spectacle featuring the Open Reel Ensemble, Maika Loubté, Kafuka & Kezzardrix, Daito Manabe, and closing the night Kyoka & Shohei Fujimoto. All happening on Stage 1.
Stage 3 will kick off at 19:30 (GMT+9) with the Connect B39/PRECTXE program inviting a series of performances by Korean artists Woochi, RSBA, and oOps.50656, followed by the Connect MUTEK.ES with 4 performances by MURCOF & Sergi Palau, Tarta Relena, Balago and Francesco Tristano’s Pianorig Sessions.
Closing the night will be the third showcase of our Mexican friends the corporality of Nohbords & AA, the downtempo sound explorations of Jiony & Sabme and the recontextualized new age of Wasted Fates & Future Forward, taking place from 22:00 (GMT+9) on Stage 2.
Saturday, December 12
Saturday, December 12 will begin with a focus on the performances delivered by our Norwegian partners. Starting at 18:00 (GMT+9) on Stage 3 Elina Waage Mikalsen & Ingrid Kristensen Bjørnaali, Lars Horntveth & BIT20 Ensemble, Super Heavy Metal and Tacobitch, will deliver 4 of the finest musical endeavors this Nordic country has on offer.
At 18:30 (GMT+9) Nocturne 2 will present the grand final of MUTEK.JP’s physical events in Tokyo. With a more musical focus the night will see performances by the likes of Eiichi Sawado & Akiko Nakayama, Eiko Ishibashi & Jim O’Rourke, Yuri Urano & Manami Sakamoto, machina, and the collaboration Neutral by Fumitake Tamura and AOKI takamasa, all this to be watched live on Stage 1.
Joining at 22:00 (GMT+9) on stage 2, MUTEK.MX 4 will showcase the expressionist journeys into digital architecture and ethnography by Mexican artists Pepe Mogt and Edgar Mondragón & Erik López.
Sunday, December 13
On Sunday, December 13th, three virtual stages will roll out the final lap of MUTEK.JP+MX's hybrid edition with a replay of festival performances.
Stage 1 will represent Asia's hidden gems from 14:00 (GMT+9). This year's collaboration with the Korean art space B39 and its PRECTXE festival will rerun audiovisual performances by oOps.50656, RSBA and Woochi. Following a complete rerun of all of MUTEK.JP’s physical performances including the likes of Daito Manabe, the Open Reel Ensemble, machìna, and Kyoka & Shohei Fujimoto, will give you the chance to relive your most favorite performances.
Stage 2 will kick-off at 14:30 (GMT+9) with the Connect Insomnia & Ekko program, which will showcase the musical explorations of sound and space by Elina Waage Mikalsen & Ingrid Kristensen Bjørnaali, Lars Horntveth & BIT20 Ensemble's performance "Silencio & The Echo Bolero Stars", Super Heavy Metal and Tacobitch. Afterwards the complete Replay of MUTEK.MX's festival program will be host to the likes of audiovisual wizard Pepe Mogt, the modular synth explorations of Le Fantom Onde, and the interdisciplinary duo CNDSD and Iván Abreu.
Beginning at 15:00 (GMT+9) Stage 3 will open with the replay of the Connect program hosted by our Italian friends at ClubToClub festival with Mana & Nicole Neidert's performance Mania and Bienoise x Allarme Rosso. The rest of the day will put a special spotlight on our MUTEK global network. Expect replays of Connect MUTEK's Nelly-Eve Rajotte and Moonshine, MUTEK.ES audiovisual endeavors by Francesco Tristano and MURCOF & Sergi Palau. Also, revisit performances by Qoa & Joaquina S. of "Future Mythologies" hosted by MUTEK Argentina, and finally, branching out from the Middle East, hm505 & VJ mentalny jeż as part of MUTEK’s AE satellite.
Virtual Gallery & Listening Room
In the virtual gallery the exhibition Transcending Realities takes the audience on a multimedia journey along the Reality-Virtuality Continuum, bringing together more than 20 artists from Mexico, Japan and around the world for a joint showcase of their work, extending to a fully immersive VR space and the physical realm.
Akiko Yamashita JP — Where does water come from? / Alba G. Corral ES — By the Sea & Continuum / Alex Czetwertynski US — Vesica Pisces / Andy Martin MX — Moon / Elizabeth Ros RU — Ambrosian Flower / Florence To UK — ALUCIIN / Jorge Suaret MX — Digital painting / Kaoru Tanaka & Ikuko Morozumi JP — Tautology / Lucas Gutierrez & Robert Lippok AR/DE — Drawing From Memory / Marianela Fuentes MX — Tau / Omodaka JP — Synthetic Nature / Sabrina Ratté CA/QC — Aliquid / Taras Mashtalir RU — Mercury / Transgresorcorruptor & Ken-ichi Kawamura MX/JP — Sombra / Takuma Nakata JP — Slumbers Valley / THINK AND SENSE & Intercity-Express JP — Stillness / VAA MX — ETZNAB / Xochipeople RU/MX — Xochipilli 2.2
The Listening Room is all about music, featuring a non-stop selection of live festival recordings. Each set was hand-picked from the MUTEK network's Soundcloud archives. The selected recordings reflect a boundary-defying history of the mutations of electronic music over the past decade.
Both the Virtual Gallery and the Listening Room will be continuously available to explore on the platform December 9 to 13, and during the archive presentation December 16 to January 1, 2021.
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